The Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy and Flintridge Prep varsity girls’ volleyball programs kicked off the regular season this week. Both teams hold high expectations to contend for a league title and reach the postseason.
FLINTRIDGE SACRED HEART
Last year’s Angeles League runner-up Tologs, led by head coach Trent Tcheng, experienced a taste of the postseason. However, their journey was cut short in the CIF Southern Section Division III tournament’s opening round by Torrance.
“Last year we were struggling with complete buy-in until the last two weeks of the season,” Tcheng said. “I think this group can be a very special group. This is the first year since COVID [where] I honestly believe it’s a well-connected team. Everyone understands their role and since the summer workouts, everyone is saying and doing the right things. I feel like everyone is on the same page.”
FSHA possesses all the necessary components to construct a team with playoff potential. This is underscored by the presence of varsity veterans such as Lindsey Du, Veronica Udell, Mikayla Hsieh and Luisa Madrigal. Tcheng expects his senior leaders not only to drive the Tologs on the court but also to mentor the younger players and instill a cohesive team mindset.
“Whoever is the best player deserves to be on the court regardless of what class they’re in,” Tcheng said. “If they commit to the team and understand, ‘this player is better than me, they deserve to be on the court,’ I think that’s what I define as buy-in — they’re willing to be a team versus a group of individuals.”
Hsieh filled up the stat sheet last season with 303 assists, 289 digs, 92 kills, 30 blocks and 27 aces. Du’s contributions were also substantial, racking up 357 digs, 73 assists and 51 aces. Madrigal recorded 206 kills, 148 digs and 22 blocks while Udell collected 107 kills, 72 digs, 25 blocks and 10 aces.
The Tologs will also rely on the contributions from juniors Piper Scherbert and Ally Du, along with the addition of incoming freshman Sophia Wright. Tcheng noted observable progress from the junior members while he anticipates Wright to introduce a heightened level of defensive stability. Last year, Scherbert tallied a team-high 71 blocks with 99 kills and 58 assists while Ally Du recorded a team-high 336 assists with 181 digs and 41 aces.
“Piper has gotten stronger and she is a little more experienced from another year of club under her belt. Ally’s strength for the team is her ability to serve — she can go deep, she can go short and she can consistently locate that serve,” Tcheng said. “Sophia will probably lock down our defensive specialist sub role for one of our outsides.”
FSHA opened the regular season this week with a road matchup at Temple City before hosting Alemany High of Mission Hills; the results will be included in next week’s issue. The Tologs will host Westridge School of Pasadena tomorrow at 6 p.m. before hosting Providence High of Burbank on Aug. 21.
FLINTRIDGE PREP
The Wolves finished last season in a position to earn a first-round matchup in the CIF Southern Section Division V tournament against Bishop Amat. Unfortunately, Flintridge Prep faced an early exit in the opening round, but head coach Reed Bradley and his varsity squad remain enthusiastic about the prospect of another opportunity in the postseason.
“We know the [Prep] League is so competitive and so important for the way we gauge success of our season,” Bradley said. “It’s our goal to outright make playoffs and not leave it to chance. We want to have a strong enough league finish that we don’t leave it up to anyone but ourselves.”
Flintridge Prep finished the season with a 14-10 overall record and a 5-7 mark in the Prep League, good for a share of fourth place with Rio Hondo Prep of Arcadia.
To recreate last year’s success, the Wolves will rely on their cadre of experienced returnees including Jessica Powell, Marissa Halley, Lucy Liu, Jaleen Tseng and Abbie Callaway. Powell’s recognition as a first-team all-league player and Halley’s second-team all-league distinction highlight their contributions. Callaway’s impressive debut season as a freshman bolsters the team’s attacking strength while Liu’s court versatility positions her as a valuable utility player. Additionally, Tseng’s role as a pivotal back row contributor cannot be understated.
“Jessica has been a very important offensive presence for us in addition to being one of our best blockers. Marissa is an incredibly athletic libero; she’s very fast, very explosive and she has such a high ceiling,” Bradley said. “The more confidence, experience and consistency Abbie gets, she’ll just continue to improve and make life difficult for our opponents. Lucy has a great arm swing, really good sense of the court and a great attitude. Jalen is very strong defensively and can make amazing plays. She’s also a great server who can pick zones really well.”
Arguably the most formidable opponent on the schedule will be the match against league rival and runner-up Pasadena Polytechnic. Over the course of the last 17 seasons, excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Flintridge Prep have maintained a record of 2-34 against Polytechnic. The Wolves have suffered 34 consecutive losses to the Panthers since 2006 after posting a two-match sweep in 2005.
“I know Poly did graduate some really, really talented and important players but I also know they are a deep program,” Bradley said. “My experience tells me every time a school like Poly graduates a crop, they sort of reload with freshmen. I fully expect Poly to be really strong. With that said though, I fully expect to be more competitive with them this year.”
The Wolves hosted Glendale in its regular-season home opener on Tuesday; the result will be included in next week’s issue. Flintridge Prep will host San Gabriel for a nonleague matchup on Aug. 25 before opening Prep League action at Polytechnic on Aug. 31.
First published in the August 17 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
